Just Keep Pedaling

Getting my wife to cleat in...

"Cables do not stretch..... " Is that why those Gore cables with the fancy housing are liked so much?...R500 for a cable...hmmm.

Caerus: check out bicycletutor.com or Youtube.

Where do you get a cheap floorstand? Those park tool one's are R1000+.

Buy them... ...if you are a monkey!

The only reason to go rigid is extreme weight saving (i.e. showing off) or extreme cost saving .

Another option instead of full suspension is a 29er (29 inch tyres - much larger). This is the latest craze and it works similar to a suspension system because of the larger tyres. There should be a lot of cheaper 29ers coming through in 2011. 29ers require more skill to ride as you have to keep the momentum of the big wheels going.

Full suspension. There are ways to get away with not have a full susser. 1) Big soft rubber tyres pumped at a lower pressure. Beware of pinch flats (tubes) or burping (tubeless). 2) More aggressive seating position (leaning forward) puts more weight on your legs and less on your ass. (use saddle adjustments and stems for this). 3) Buy a better fork for the front. 4) Suspension seatpost - a last resort - generally frowned upon but I used it for a while and it helps. 5) Adjust your riding style. Fulls susser have downsides too - less bike skills learned, lost pedaling power, weight, maintenance, reliability.

Impact soreness: THe muscles in your ass get stonger with time spent in saddle. So this will go away. Chaffing will not go away - buy Assos Chamois Cream - Cycle Lab sells it (and other bike shops too I am sure).

I agree with slowpoke. Ride it as long as you can and spend a long time researching your next bike, waiting for specials (last year's models etc), comparing value of bike setups etc until you are ready.

"Will rear suspension help with those loooong downhills? YES. YOU WILL GO FASTER AND WITH LESS PAIN. WIll I get a full suspension bike for my budget? YES. YOU CAN BUY A BRAND X FRAME ON CHAINREACTIONCYCLES> BE AWARE YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO EASILY PORT SOME OLDER COMPONENTS. ALSO, PORTING COMPONENTS IS LABOUR INTENSIVE SO EXPECT TO PAY THE BIKE SHOP A WHACK TO DO IT. What bikes should I be looking for? DEPENDS. ANY BRAND IN BUSINESS HAS SOMETHING TO OFFER SOMEONE - JUST NOT NECCESSARILY YOU. TOYOTA CORROLLA BRANDS: GIANT, MERIDA, SCOTT, GT, TREK. Any makes to avoid, or pitfalls to watch out for? REMEMBER - MOST TIMES THE MAKE IS SIMPLY THE MAKE OF THE FRAME. THE FRAME IS ONLY ONE OF 20+ COMPONENTS. CONCENTRATE ON FRONT FORK, WHEEL SET AND DRIVE CHAIN SETUPS. WHAT alternative saddle types are there? (preferably ones that won't neuter me)SADDLE IS NORMALLY NOT THE PROBLEM IF YOU ARE HURTING. TRY SADDLE SETUP OR BIB ETC. Oh, what does "BB" stand for (as in "frame size measured from BB to top of seat post")BOTTOM BRACKET. IT SITS BETWEEN THE TWO CRANKS (PEDAL ARMS) AND HAS A BEARING INSIDE TO KEEP YOU PEDALING SMOOTHLY.

Upgrade to tubeless conversion. You don't need tubeless rims and UST tyres - you can do with your won rims. Watch the youtube video's on "ghetto tubeless" and do it yourself. Cost R250. You can get Ergon grips which help elimate hand numbness. Expect to pay R300 for these. The saddle: is the problem rubbing or is it impact from the saddle bruising you? The first can be sortted by a good bib, a smooth saddle with little or no padding and use of chamois cream. The later can be cured by getting fitter which means your full weight is not always on your ass.

Upgrading is a seperate hobby to Mountain Biking. Personally, I enjoy upgrading almost as much as riding...

Mallets. The one guy who had complained they were difficult to use. If you are going to downhill use platforms. If you are going to cross-country then use eggbeaters.

The walk down the riverbed is amazing. The mtb track is too much like a 'firebreak' to bother.

I have the Endura's - the lining is poor quality and the press stud stopped working. I use a quality bib as a liner and I super glued the press stud closed. Excluding the above they are lekker shorts.

I bought Shimano shoes from Cajees. R1400. Six month;s later I needed a second pair for spinning and I bought them off Chainreaction. R400 after import. My friend got a Scott Spark 10 from them. It came with a cheapass plastic seat on a top of the range expensive bike. When he investigated the bike was specced with a top of the range Fizik. When he asked them whats up they shelled over the Fizik. My other friend had a bike serviced there. He claims they only washed it. All I can say is: RUN!!!!

Hmmnn...with 6700 posts, Dirt Rider probably could write a book on this...sheesh...forum trolls!

Tubeless is generally considered the best upgrade you can do for your bike - especially when racing. Beware though, you need tubeless tyres, tubeless compatable rims, regular goo insertions (gross!), backup plans for sidewall slash, and tubeless generally weigh more. That being said, tubeless resists punctures way better than a slimed tube.

The issue with Cycle Lab is not that they are more expensive - only that they are more geared towards wealthier clients. e.g. I needed a new fork for my wife's bike - so I asked them what they had - they had only two forks in stock - one for R8 000 and one for R13 000. My wife's bike at that time cost R7000.

They can really pirce gouge you if you are not careful. Commissions are regulated. No more than 15% on personal lines. Admin fees are not regulated and they can charge whatever they want. Direct insurers like Miway also have a claims repudiation ratio of 6%-8% while tradional insurers are in the 1% to 5% range.

Hydraulic brakes are not that important in themselves (better in the wet - more progressive braking) but the manufacturers generally don't put them on cheaper spec bikes - so a bike that has them is likely a better bike. Lifetime warrantee on a frame is as useful as a second as*hole on your elbow. I have had bad experiences with Cajees. Other shops. Linden Cycles. Chris Willemse Cycles. Fritz Pienaar Cycles. Westrand Cycles. Online: Chainreactioncycles.com (my favorite). Buy Cycle.co.za. Many more. If you want the Merida R5000k bike ask them to order it and give you an eta.

I would buy the cheapest MTB you can find from a real bike shop. Cycle Lab won't rip you off but they are a premium shop who caters to top riders etc. Go look at some other shops in JHB. Take your time. These days cheap bikes are good quality - you mostly pay for weight savings as you go more expensive. Shop around and don't be afraid to let the shops know you are shopping around for prices.

Your limit screws are possibly not correctly set if it goes into the spokes. You can also get a plastic guard that attaches to the spokes which prevent the derailler from snagging on them.

Pull the decals off and enjoy the forks for their ride rather than their staus effect.